Hope's Special Day
We are pretty much settled in our house here in Krabi. We still have a few things, or maybe a number of things yet to do, but we have started back with school for the girls and language school for us. Since we were all terribly ill for my birthday a month ago, we decided we would have a really fun outing for Hope's and my birthday. So, we gave Hope a few suggestions of things we could do around here and she choose the "elephant ride". So, here are some pics of our time....
At first we were both pretty scared, to be quite honest! The seat had no seat belts and the first thing our elephant needed to do was cross a small, swiftly flowing river. As our elephant went down into the river we clung to the seat and each other so we would not fall out! :) About 5 minutes in, Hope asked when it would end. The guide laughed and said in about an hour, to which she smiled. After some time we got used to things and could relax and enjoy the ride. Our guide was from Isaan (the region we used to live in). It was fun to talk with him and hear him tell us things about the jungle. Evidently, there is a very pale snake we really want to avoid. We saw a giant lizard lying on a log across a small creek. Chris and Faith were able to see some monkeys fighting in the tree tops. Our elephant was too heavy to make the trek to that neck of the jungle. Chris' elephant was a little ornery that day and was making all kinds of "elephant objections". The sounds were so cool, though, echoing off the mountains.
After the trek, the girls fed their elephants bananas by hand...
Overall, it was a great time and the girls had a blast. Then we headed to the beach to have some fun in the water. Someone from church had mentioned that the beach at the Sheraton was very clean and clear so we eventually found the hotel and walked through their beautiful landscaping to the ocean. It was overcast but not raining.
This was the first beach we have seen that was pretty clear. It wasn't even sunny and Faith could see down to the bottom. She was super excited about this, as we had told her about the beautiful beaches of Southern Thailand and we had yet to see one.
Then off for pizza in Ao Nang...
And then we ran back home to have cake and ice cream with our neighbors.... it was a wild day!!! We bought a cake in town and had them write Hope's Thai name, Hathai (one of the few Thai words for "heart") on it.
This morning, Hope asked "Mom, when is my next birthday?" I said in 364 days. So, the count down begins again. :) I should be recovered by then!
